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Calcification in Octocorals

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Hard Tissue Mineralization and Demineralization

Summary

The octocorals are colonial cnidarians, many of which contain calcareous spicules in the mesoglea and, in some species, in the axis as well. The octocorals are excellent organisms for probing the mechanisms of biomineralization and demineralization, and the processes of calcification of spicules have been investigated extensively in recent years, especially in Leptogorgia virgulata. In this review, octocoral spicule formation is discussed relative to (1) the characteristics of scleroblasts, the spicule-forming cells, (2) calcium transport by the colonies, (3) rate of calcification, (4) role of carbonic anhydrase, (5) hormonal control of calcification, and (6) organic matrices and their possible functions in spicule formation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electron Microscopy Center, The University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Norimitsu Watabe

  2. Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA

    Roni J. Kingsley

Authors
  1. Norimitsu Watabe
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  2. Roni J. Kingsley
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, The Nippon Dental University School of Dentistry at Tokyo, 1-9-20 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102, Japan

    Shoichi Suga D.D.S., D.M.S. (Professor) (Professor)

  2. University of South Carolina, 29208, Columbia, SC, USA

    Norimitsu Watabe D.Sc. (Director of Electron Microscopy Center, Professor of Biological Sciences and Marine Science Program) (Director of Electron Microscopy Center, Professor of Biological Sciences and Marine Science Program)

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag Tokyo

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Watabe, N., Kingsley, R.J. (1992). Calcification in Octocorals. In: Suga, S., Watabe, N. (eds) Hard Tissue Mineralization and Demineralization. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68183-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68183-0_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-68185-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-68183-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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